Desserts

June 30, 2015

There's one treat I must eat every time I visit Disneyland and it's a Dole Whip. If you've never had one, it's light, creamy, pineappley (which is a word according to the Internet) soft serve that is served in Adventureland. It's really good and really easy to recreate at home. This recipe is for popsicle versions! The best part is that is only has four ingredients and costs about $4!

directions:Just blend all the ingredients together! Told you it was easy. Be sure to blend it for a few minutes, so the pineapple pieces get blended until smooth. Then just pour in to your popsicle mold. Let it freeze for about an hour, then insert the popsicle sticks. Freeze for a few hours or until solid.

March 06, 2015

The moment we moved into our new house, I claimed a spot in the freezer for my ice cream maker attachment. There wasn't much room at my parents house to store my machine, so when I moved out I wanted to make sure it had a spot and was ready to use. (It has to sit in the freezer for at least 16 hours to be ready to make ice cream, but I always hate waiting for it to get cold enough. I just store it in the freezer, so it's always ready to go. You never know when you'll be in the mood to make a frozen treat!)

We still have a ton of grapefruit to eat before they go bad, so I've been trying to think of ways to use them. I remembered the ice cream maker in the freezer and knew I had to make sorbet!

I really love how this recipe turned out. The lavender and grapefruit flavors fit together so well! Plus, it was really easy to make.

Grapefruit & Lavender Sorbet, makes 1 quart

ingredients:3 cups grapefruit juice (I used about 8 grapefruits)3 large strips of grapefruit zest (use a peeler) 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice1/2 cup light corn syrup2/3-1 cup sugar (depends on the sweetness of the fruit, if they are on the sour side, use 1 cup)1/2 teaspoon lavender extract (or use more lavender buds)a sprinkle of lavender buds

directions:The first step is to juice all the grapefruits. Honestly, this is the hardest part of this recipe. I juiced the fruit and pour it into a measuring cup through a mesh sieve until I had three cups. Once you have 3 cups of juice, combine the grapefruit juice, zest, lemon juice, corn syrup, and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Then, transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool. Add the lavender extract and sprinkle a little lavender buds into the bowl. Let this cool and then transfer into the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours.

Pour the mixture from the bowl into a measuring cup through the mesh sieve again. This removes the lavender buds and any extra pulp. With your machine running, slowly pour in the mixture. Within minutes, you'll see the liquid starting to freeze. Continue to let the mixer stir until it's thick and resembles the consistency of sorbet. Usually, the mixer doesn't freeze the ice cream enough to eat as soon as it's done. I transferred my sorbet into an ice cream container and let it freeze for a couple hours. Once it's hard enough to scoop, you're done!

This grapefruit and lavender sorbet is so good. It has a light flavor that's not overwhelming. I hope you enjoy! xo. Laura

January 27, 2015

I consider myself a baker, but I realized I've never actually made a cake from scratch! Luckily there was an easy fix; just bake a cake! I turned to my favorite type of cake for my first try, a red devils food cake. Recently, I was given an old Betty Crocker cookbook from 1961 and I fell in love. This recipe is from that book, it's an easy cake with an even easier frosting. If you haven't ever baked a cake from scratch, give this one a shot!

directions:In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Next, add shortening, milk, and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes on a medium speed. I used level four on my stand mixer. Start slow, so the dry ingredients don't fly all over the kitchen (trust me)! Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs. Now, beat for another 2 minutes. Pour into two greased layer pans and bake at 350°F. If you're using 8" pans, bake for about 38 minutes and bake 9" pans for about 30 minutes. Let cool and frost with the following recipe!

The cookbook titled this frosting as 'Quick-As-A-Wink Chocolate Frosting.' The title didn't lie.

frosting directions:Combine chocolate, butter, and milk in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the chocolate is just melted. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Beat on a medium-heat speed until all the lumps are gone and the frosting is smooth and creamy (about 2-4 minutes).

December 23, 2014

For my 22 before 23 birthday list, I made a goal to cook 22 recipes from 22 places. I started by making a list of countries where I either liked the food or knew nothing about the food. The point of this goal is to learn new things about ingredients and cultures while trying to improve my cooking skills. See past recipes here: 1, 2, 3

I wanted to learn how people in other parts of the world celebrate Christmas, since it's right around the corner. I started researching recipes and found this tasty rice and almond pudding. Risalamande is a traditional Christmas dessert from Denmark. It's based on rice, cream, and almonds and served with hot cherry sauce. Plus, it's really easy!

directions:Bring milk, rice, and the seeds from the vanilla bean to a low boil and cover for about 50 minutes. Remember to stir often to make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. After the rice is cooked, stir in the sugar. Remove the rice from heat, so it can cool.

Once it is cooled, whip the whipping cream. I used my stand mixture and slowly increased the speed until it was fluffy. Stir the chopped almonds into the rice. After that is mixed, stir in the whipped cream.

sauce directions:The sauce is really easy. In a pot, bring the cherries to a low boil. Stir the cornstarch into the water and add it to the boiling cherries. Let it cook and thicken for a few minutes until you're happy with the consistency.

It's time to enjoy! The pudding is meant to be served cold with the hot cherry sauce. So good!